What are your thoughts on NOT candling until day 18?

[marcuscarr]

My incubator is extremely stable in both humidity and temp. There is a automatic egg turner and I can fill the water container without opening the lid.

It seems to me that I can have the best hatch by not touching anything until day 18, when I have to remove the eggs from the turner.

What do you think of waiting until day 18 and candling as I pull them from the turner and place them in the hatching bin? Am I asking for a possible eggsplosion?

Thanks,
Marcus

 

[verthandi]

I would miss all the fun that way if I waited. It is so amazing the first time I see the veins in the egg and that little heart just pumping.

But we each should do what we are most comfortable doing. Best wishes on your hatch, either way will work.

 

[Corey NC]

I would definately be worried about a bad egg exploding if you wait that long. The best thing to do is wait and don't candle before day 10 because up until then the embryos are still very very fragile. Then candle agian when you stop turning. This has yeilded the best results for me so far.

 

[tiffanyh]

My thoughts are: Can you really wait that long???

 

[ginasmarans]

I agree to wait until after day 10 to candle. Hens don't candle their eggs but they do push bad ones out of the nest. I usually onlu discard weeping or clear eggs.

 

[marcuscarr]

I could wait that long if I knew I was improving the chances for the chicks =]

Thank you all. I will candle on day 10 and cull out the bad ones.

Marcus

 

[Kentucky~Momma]

Just to let you know, we have an automatic egg turner and ours stays stable, we don't have to fill the water at all in the 18 days, and we don't open it until day 18 to candle. I do have a window for viewing, check temps/humidity once a day before I go to bed, and check my thermometer/hygrometer for hi/low temp spikes. So far, knock on wood, I haven't had an egg explode, and with all we have going on here, I can't get into candling, because i want to candle all the time. So day 18 is my only candle day. HTH.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've had eggs in a bator for the full 21 days without candling because I forgot about them....

That said, as long as you didn't set any cracked eggs, or eggs with shell problems, AND you give the bator a daily sniff, there is no problem in waiting till day 18. I personally am in patient and candle all the time... mainly on day 6,4 and 18.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Quote:
Me too! I'm horrible! Although I'm much more off-hands this batch, just to make sure that's not affecting my hatch rate.. I was a good girl.. candled day 6, then day 8 (only on the ones I thought were clears though.. right before I pulled them). I don't get to candle again until day 14..

The waiting is AGONY!

Meghan

 

[MissPrissy]

I'm with Corey. Until you have had to clean up after an exploding rotten egg you just may never understand LOL Check them eggs and get the undeveloping ones out of there before you wish you had.

Just the thought of it make me shiver. Yuck!